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iloratio loomis; Wait 

Hieutenant Commanbtr WiniUh ^tntti ^abp 

Mth at Cfjicago, SUinoijf 

STuIp 15. 1916 



Circular No. 52. 
Series 1916. 

Whole No. 792. 



Chicago, October 2, 1916. 



HORATIO LOOMIS WAIT, 



Lieutenant Commander U. S. Navy. 
Served in Atlantic Blockade Squadron, 1862. 
In Admiral Farragut's Gulf Squadron, 1863. 
On Admiral Dahlgren's "Philadelphia," siege of Charles- 
ton, South Carolina, 1864-1865. 

Born New York City, August 8, 1836. 
Died at Chicago, Illinois, July 15, 1916. 



By order of 



Lieut. EDWARD R. BLAKE, 

Commander. 

SIMEON H. CRANE, 

Captain, Recorder. 



9n Mttaar^ of 

^avnt^a l^oomtH Halt 

ia3B - 191B 






Line of Descent 



RICHARD WAIT, born in England, 1608, 
came to America, received grants of land at Water- 
toMii, Mass. His sons were John Wait, Framing- 
ham, Mass.; Thomas Wait, Sudbury, Mass.; 
Joseph Wait, Marlboro, jVIass. 

THOMAS AVAIT, 2d son of Richard, born 
1641. His sons were Richard Wait, killed in In- 
dian War; Thomas, born in 1667, Lyme, Conn.; 
John Wait, killed in Indian War ; 
JOSEPH WAIT, Brookfield, INIass.; Thomas 
Wait of Lyme, Conn., had 4 sons; the 4th was 
Richard Wait, of Lyme, Conn. His son was 
Henry M. Wait, Chief Justice of Connecticut; he 
added final "e" to his name after admission to the 
bar. His son was Morrison R. Waite, Chief Jus- 
tice Supreme Court of the U. S. 

JOSEPH WAIT, of Brookfield, Mass., 4th son 
of Thomas ; had 1 son. 

JOHN WAIT, of Brookfield, Mass. His sons 
were ; 

1 John Wait, born 1730 — Captain in Herrick's 
Rangers. 

2 JOSEPH WAIT, born 1732— Lt. Colonel 
Continental Army. 

3 Thomas Wait, born 1735 — Served in Ran- 
gers, killed in battle. 

4 Benjamin Wait, born 1737 — Major Conti- 
nental Armv. 



5 Richard Wait, born 1745 — Captain in Her- 
rick's Rangers. 

6 Jeduthan Wait, born 1754 — Served in Lear- 
ned's Regiment in 1776. 

7 William Wait, born 1756 — Served in Lear- 
ned's Regiment in 1776. 

5 MAR:MADUKE wait, born 1774, Clare- 
mont, N. H. (son of 2 Joseph Wait), 1st Lieuten- 
ant 16th U. S. Infantrj^ June 10, 1799. His sons 
were John Frederick Wait, whose son is FRED 
H. WAIT, late A. Ensign, U. S. N. 

6 JOSEPH WAIT, whose son is 

7 HORATIO L. WAIT, late U. S. Navy. 
Israel C. Wait, late Lieutenant U. S. Navy (died 

in 1855). 

Charles Wait, late U. S. Navy (died in 1856>. 



Chronology of Military Service of 

Horatio Loomis Wait 



Private in Company D, 60th, Illinois Infantry, 1861. 

Commissioned as Asst. Paymaster U. S. Navy, with 
rank of Master July 17, 1862. 

Served in the United States Navy for eight years, 
1862 to 1870. 

In South Atlantic Blockading Squadron on U. S. 
Steamer "Pembina," 1862. 

In Admiral Farragut's West Gulf Squadron off Mo- 
bile in 1863. 

On Admiral Dahlgren's Flag Steamer "Philadel- 
phia" during the seige of Charleston, South Caro- 
lina, in 1864 and 1865. 

On United States Ship "Ino" in 186,5 and 1866 in 
European Squadron. 

On Admiral S. C. Rowan's Flag Ship "New Hamp- 
shire" at Norfolk, Virginia, in 1867. 

As Inspector at Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida, in 
1868 and 1869. 

With the rank of Lt. Commander, United States 
Navy, Resigned 1870. 

Served in the Illinois Naval Reserve, with the rank 
of Lt. Commander, Payr., I. N. R., from 1894 
to 1907. 

Placed on Retired List at his own request in 1907. 



HORATIO L. WAIT 



Horatio Loomis Wait was born on the 18th day 
of August, 1836. He was of pure New England 
stock, a descendant of revolutionary ancestors who 
fought to establish the independence of their country, 
and was himself among the patriotic band who took 
up arms at the outbreak of the Civil War, serving 
with honor until the last embers of the rebellion were 
stamped out. 

The family is of English extraction. The first of 
its members who settled in America was Richard 
Wait, who came to the Massachusetts colony early in 
the seventeenth century and received a grant of land 
in Watertown, Mass. His descendant, John Wait, 
at the time of the French and Indian War and the 
War of the Revolution, had seven sons, all of whom 
fought in their country's cause, five of them becoming 
commissioned officers, and two being killed in battle. 

The second of these seven brothers, Joseph Wait, 
was a Captain in Major Robert Rogers' corps of 
Rangers in the colonial days, and had many sangui- 
nary encounters with the savage northern tribes. He 
was Captain of a company in Ethan Allen's regiment 
of Green Mountain Boys, and was one of the eighty- 
three men who with Allen captured Fort Ticonde- 
roga. Early in the War of the Revolution he raised 
a regiment and was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel by John Hancock. Lieutenant-Colonel Wait was 

7 



mortally wounded in a skirmish just before the battle 
of Valcour Island, and died on his way home. He 
was buried beside the road in Clarendon, Vermont, 
about two miles south of Rutland, where his fellow 
officers erected a monumental stone, which still stands 
to mark the spot. His son, Marmaduke Wait, served 
as first lieutenant in the 16th United States regiment 
of infantry from the year 1799. In the next genera- 
tion Israel C. Wait, son of Marmaduke, served as 
lieutenant in the United States Navy during the Mex- 
ican War. 

On his mother's side also, there were several of Mr. 
Wait's ancestors who held commissions and took ac- 
tive parts in the colonial wars with the French and 
Indians, the Revolutionary War and in the Seminole 
war in Florida. His great uncle, Col. Heileman, was 
killed while in command at the battle of Micanopy 
and is buried in the Cemetery at St. Augustine under 
the memorial obelisk. 

His parents, Joseph Wait and Harriet Heileman 
Whitney, were both natives of Vermont. His father 
was a merchant in the city of New York, and in that 
city Horatio was born. He was educated at Trinity 
school. New York, until he entered Columbia College 
grammar school, where he was fitted for Columbia 
College. His first business experience was with the 
banking house of Duncan, Sherman & Co. in New 
York City. In 1856 he came to Chicago to the Ma- 
rine Bank, then entered the office of J. Young Scam- 
mon, where he was engaged in the study of law when 
the news of the firing on Fort Sumter by the rebels 
aroused the patriotic spirit of all the loyal citizens of 



the North. He promptly enlisted in Company D. of 
the eotli Illinois Infantry, which was raised by Cap- 
tain L. P. Bradley, but becoming impatient of the 
delay in filling up and mustering the regiment, he 
volunteered for service in the Navy, there being a 
call for young men of banking experience for the 
pay, accounting and supply department, and was or- 
dered to report to Rear Admiral Hiram Paulding at 
the New York navy-yard to be examined for admis- 
sion to the naval service. He at once obeyed the order, 
and having passed his examination received a com- 
mission from President Lincoln personally at Wash- 
ington, as Assistant Paj^master, with the rank of 
Master, in the United States Navy. He was always 
amused by the fact that Lincoln delivered personally 
only two commissions, his and Gen. U. S. Grant's. 

He was then ordered to report to Admiral Dupont 
for duty on the United States steamer "Pembina" 
engaged in blockading the entrances to Savannah 
and shelling out the confederates from the batteries 
they were erecting to command the sea approaches to 
that City. Soon after he joined this vessel, it was 
sent on a cruise to the West Indies in pursuit of the 
rebel privateer "Alabama." Several times they were 
near enough to see the burning ships which the "Ala- 
bama" had just destroyed but they did not have an 
opportunity to destroy the pirate. The "Pembina" 
was a slower and smaller vessel with a less powerful 
battery so their plan was to maneuver to ram the 
"Alabama" at full speed, in which case probably 
neither ship would have survived and all hands would 
have been lost. 

In the winter of 1862 they reported to Admiral 



Farragut for service in his squadron doing blockading 
at Pensacola and off Mobile. Here Mr. Wait did his 
full share of deck and boat duty. The Navy was 
continually short of competent deck and watch-offi- 
cers so he volunteered for such duty in addition to his 
own work as paymaster. The responsibilities of a 
paymaster in the Navy combine both accounting and 
supplies so that he had his hands full without standing 
"watch." The mid-watch, midnight to four a. m., was 
the one his shipmates most disliked, so he volunteered 
for that time to relieve the overworked line officers of 
their most disagreeable task. He also passed many 
nights on picket and scout duty, in all kinds of win- 
ter weather, in open boats, watching for the blockade 
runners or the rebel iron-clads which threatened to 
dash out and destroy the wooden Union fleet. Dur- 
ing the great winter gales these picket-boats were 
sometimes driven ashore and the crews either drowned 
in the breakers or captured and sent to Andersonville 
where they regretted not having been drowned. He 
was many nights scouting in the miasmatic swamps 
where the Southerners said "no white man could pass 
the night and live." 

This blockading service was very arduous and said 
to be impossible by the European powers who finally 
sent their warships to report if the impossible had 
been accomplished. The naval vessels of that time 
had no heating-plants or other comforts common to- 
day, so that the ship's company were cold and wet 
for long periods of time, consequently many accom- 
plished and valuable officers succumbed to the hard- 
ships. 

While participating with Farragut's squadron in 

10 



the blockade and siege of Mobile, the "Pembina" had 
several lively engagements with the rebel batteries, 
captured two blockade-runners, and assisted in the 
capture of many other vessels. The "Pembina" being 
sent north for repairs, Mr. Wait was transferred to 
the steamer "Mary Sanford" which was dispatched 
to Charleston with ammunition for the monitor fleet, 
towing a schooner similarly loaded. They had bad 
weather, when the steamer's engines broke down and 
another vessel ran into her. Mr. Wait was crushed 
in the collision and was for some time supposed to be 
dead, receiving injuries from which he never fully 
recovered. 

In the winter of 1863 he was ordered to report to 
Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren for duty on the 
admiral's flagship, the steamer "Philadelphia." He 
had unusual facility with pencil and brush. This was 
long before the day of the kodak so his sketches made 
a valuable part of the official reports. Many of them 
will be found reproduced in naval histories, mostly 
without credit. He sketched through a telescope the 
first submarine torpedo-boat, which was being built in 
Charleston and which sank some of the Union fleet, 
also its own crew. A copy of this sketch reached the 
hands of Jules Verne and probably gave him the idea 
of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." 

At this time he had charge of the fleet of tugs and 
converted auxiliary vessels, which were named after 
flowers, "jNIarigold," etc., and were nicknamed 
"Wait's bouquet." The difficulty of maintaining 
these small craft during the West Indies cyclone sea- 
son cannot be appreciated. Once when carrjang im- 

11 




()\J? crrcH^r^.'UycL^. 



portant dispatches in tlie "Jonquil" the green seas 
broke over her so heavily that almost enough water 
came down the smoke-stack to extinguish the fires. 

He was present at the bombardment of Fort Sum- 
ter, and took part in all the operations during the 
siege of Charleston until its capitulation, and in the 
co-operative movements with the Army when Gen. 
Sherman reached the coast in the neighborhood of 
Savannah. He assisted at the ceremonies in Fort 
Sumter when General Anderson again hoisted the 
same old flag that had been hauled down in 1861, on 
which occasion an impressive address was delivered 
by the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. 

At the close of the war JNIr. Wait was transferred 
to the U. S. S. "Ino," and made a cruise with the 
European squadron, visiting the principal cities from 
England to Italy. These ships had picked comple- 
ments of officers and men-of-wars-men of the old 
Navy selected as a reward for meritorious services. 
The "Ino" being the first vessel of the United States 
Navy which entered many of the European ports after 
the close of the war, the officers were the recipients 
of special official courtesies. While on service with 
the squadron off Lisbon Mr. Wait was promoted to 
the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. His ship re- 
turned to the United States in 1867, when he was 
ordered to the U. S. S. "New Hampshire," upon 
which Rear Admiral S. C. Rowan hoisted his broad 
pennant at the Norfolk navy yard. His last service 
was at the Pensacola navy yard, to which he was 
ordered as Inspector in 1868. 

In the following year he resigned his commission 

13 



in the Navy, and returned to Chicago for the purpose 
of devoting himself to the practice of the legal pro- 
fession. He resumed his study of law in the office of 
Barker & Tuley. On the 22nd of August, 1870, he 
was admitted to the Illinois Bar, and formed a part- 
nership with ]Mr. Joseph N. Barker under the firm 
name of Barker & Wait, which afterward became 
Barker, Buell & Wait. In June, 1876, he was ap- 
pointed INIaster in Chancery of the Circuit Court of 
Cook County, and as the duties of this office demanded 
all his time, the firm of Barker, Buell & Wait was 
dissolved. The ofiice of master in chancery is one of 
(Hgnity and importance, being second only in that re- 
spect to the bench itself. Courts of chancery have a 
special jurisdiction over all matters in which there is 
no remedy at common law for the wrong complained 
of, or where there is no form of action by which relief 
can be obtained at law in respect of rights Avhich ought 
to be enforced. These matters must be referred to 
the master, wlio therefore performs the functions of 
the judge, and whose report, when confirmed by the 
judge, is a decision of the case, subject, of course, to 
appeal to a higlier Court. In the multitude of cases 
before him during the forty years as Master only one 
of his findings was reversed by the Supreme Court. 
Appointed in 1876, Mr. Wait was the oldest master 
in chancery in the State Courts. Since his appoint- 
ment a number of additional judges were created for 
Cook County by act of the legislature, but so well 
and satisfactorily had jNIr. Wait discharged the labors 
of the office that he was retained in the same capacity, 
notwithstanding the election to the bench of judges 
belonging to a different political party. 



14 



Mr. Wait was a thoroughly trained lawyer, well 
versed in the law of evidence, and was clear and 
prompt in his rulings as to the adniissihility of testi- 
mony. He was also a rapid and accurate accountant 
and marshalled the formidable array of figures fre- 
quently laid before him with a precision which tended 
to the dispatch of business and the shortening of pre- 
liminary hearings. Above all, he was a thorough 
gentleman, uniformly courteous to all parties and so- 
licitors who had business to conduct before him. No 
one, happening to step into JVIr. Wait's office when 
an examination was going on there, would suppose 
that the mild-mannered, clerical-looking gentleman 
presiding was, in his youth, one of the gallant officers 
who fought with Farragut and Dahlgren, and cruised 
the ocean in search of the terrible "Alabama." 

]Mr. Wait was married on the 7th of ISIay, 1860, to 
]Miss Chara Conant Long, a descendant of Roger 
Conant, first Governor of Cape Ann Colony; and a 
daughter of James Long, an early settler of Chicago, 
who was one of its most public-spirited citizens and 
who held public official positions at various times. 
Mr. Long established in early days the Hydraulic 
Mills, and created the first water-pipe system for the 
suj^ply of water to the citizens of Chicago, in pipes 
made of wooden logs. 

In politics jVIr. Wait was always a stalwart Repub- 
lican, and continued to take a lively interest in the 
prospects of the partj^ which was identified in his mind 
with the salvation of his country in 1861, and with 
measures that have tended to promote its subsequent 
prosperity. When a man has been shot at for four 

15 



years and has seen his most valued friends and rela- 
tives killed, or worse, by men trying to overthrow the 
Government and disrupt the Union, he was naturally 
distrustful of the same influences when they acquired 
political control. 

When Gen. P. IT. Sheridan was at the head of the 
Illinois commandery of the Loyal Legion, Mr. Wait 
was elected a companion of that military order, and 
held various official positions in it, taking a very active 
interest in its objects, and contributed several essays 
on military and naval subjects to its collection. He 
also belonged to Geo. IT. Thomas Post, G. A. K. As 
an old sailor, he was alwaj^s active in the encourage- 
ment of aquatic sports, and was elected a life member 
of the Farragut Boat Club, the leading organization 
of its time in the promotion of boating and athletics; 
and an honorary member of tlie Chicago Yacht Club. 
He was also a member and officer of the Farragut 
Naval Veteran Association, a society composed of offi- 
cers and ex-officers of the Navy, who served during 
tlie War of the Rebellion. He took an active interest 
in the efforts to organize a Naval Reserve in the State 
of Illinois as an adjunct to the State jMilitia, drawing 
the bill which established it, and was elected Pay- 
master in the organization, mostly officered by gradu- 
ates of the LTnited States Naval Academy. 

]\Ii'. Wait was a n: ember of the Episcopal Church. 
When the Tyng ^Mission, a Sunday school for the 
benefit of a class that is not ordinarily reached by the 
church Sunday schools, was organized he was invited 
to act as its superintendent, and filled that position 
with marked success until his removal to ITyde Park 



rendered it necessarj^ for him to give up the mission 
work. He then engaged in the Sunday school woi'k 
in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Hyde Park. He was 
a vestryman and warden of St. Paul's parish for 
nearly forty years. Law and the church did not 
wholly engross his time, but the literary tastes, fos- 
tered by his early education, were assiduously culti- 
vated. With the great masterpieces of the classics he 
was familiar, and he likewise kept up an intimate 
acquaintance with current literature. Shortly after 
his removal to Hyde Park he united with some others 
in organizing the Hyde Park Lyceum, an association 
formed to establish a course of lectures and maintain 
a free library and reading room in that sul^arb, which 
was kept up until Hyde Park was annexed to the City 
of Chicago, when the Chicago Public Library estab- 
lished a delivery station in Hyde Park. 

Mr. Wait was elected a member of the Chicago 
Literary Club very soon after it was organized, and 
held various official positions in that society. He was 
also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, 
the Chicago Bar Association, the Kenwood Club, the 
Church Club, The Chicago Historical Society, and 
other similar organizations. He w^as Dean of the 
Chicago Law School, to which he donated his services 
as a help to the young men studying law ; at one time 
a trustee of the Chicago Public Library; and a life 
member of the Art Institute of Chicago. He assisted 
in the establishment of the Charity Organization So- 
ciety, of which the late Judge John G. Rogers was 
the head, which had for its object the systematizing of 
charities and the promotion of provident measures for 
the prevention of pauperism, in which work he was 



actively engaged for many years until the association 
was merged into the Relief and Aid Society. 

He retained his alertness and erect military bearing 
until he was over seventy, then in 1908 came the loss 
of his beloved wife who had shared his joys and sor- 
rows for forty-eight years; ^vhen he began to show 
advancing age, but he continued in active business 
until within a month of his death. 

The end came peacefully, he did not awaken from 
a quiet sleep. The last words he said were an epitome 
of his consideration for others all through life. The 
nurse heard him stirring in the night and asked if 
there wt^s something she might do for him. His reply 
was "Yes, lie down and get the sleep you need." Soon 
afterwards his breathing gradually ceased in tranquil 
slumber. 

He lies at rest in Oakwoods Cemetery beside the 
devoted and patriotic wife who gave him to the service 
of the Country all through the dark and anxious days 
of the Civil War. The funeral service was conducted 
by the Rev. C. H. Bixby, his pastor for so many years. 
The honorary pall-bearers were members of the Bench 
and Bar, the active bearers were othcers of the Illinois 
Naval Reserve, and a firing-squad from the same or- 
ganization discharged the last volley over the grave. 

Many of the organizations of which he was a mem- 
ber issued memorials from wliich a few are selected: 



18 



The following extract is from the Year Book of the 

chicactO literary club 

and was written by Frederick W. Gookin, Secretary: 
HORATIO LOOMIS WAIT 



"The Chicago Literary Clul) has had many devoted 
members but none more constant in his attendance at 
the meetings, more ready to contribute to the literary 
exercises, or to serve the club in any way, than was 
Horatio Loomis Wait. Throughout the entire period of 
thirty-nine years during which his name was upon the 
rolls he never missed a meeting that he found it possible 
to attend. Even advancing years and growing infirmity 
did not deter him from coming to the Monday evening 
gatherings, which he often declared were among the 
pleasantest things in his life. Once only during the sea- 
son of 1915-1916, though he had reached the age of 
seventy-nine and was visibly failing in strength, was he 
obliged to remain away. To none of our members can 
the meetings ever seem quite the same without his genial 
presence. His winning personality and gentle manner 
drew to him all who were privileged to know him well, 
and his memory will long be cherished by his fellow 
members in the Club. 

Mr. Wait was elected a member of the Chicago Lit- 
erary Club, January 29, 1877, and began at once to take 
part in its activities. He was President of the Club in 
the season of 1893-1894. His interest in naval and mili- 
tary affairs continued throughout his life, and as the 
following list attests, most of the papers which he read 
before the Club were the outcome of his experience and 
studies in that direction." 

April 1, 1878. "Mirth." 

November 21, 1881. "Fort Sumter." 

March 3, 1884. "Reminiscences of the Blockade." 

October 28, 1889. "The Art of Killing." 

19 



October 20, 1890. "Novel Forms for Vessels." 
October 2, 1893. "Inaugural Address" as President. 
October 10, 1898. "The Deeds and Needs of our Navy." 
October 21, 1901. "Submarine Warfare." 
November 11, 1907. "Some Incidents at Fort Barrancas." 
October 24, 1910. "When General Sherman reached the Coast." 
October 9, 1911. "Some Incidents of the Blockading Service." 
October 21, 1912. "Charleston During the Siege." 
February 9, 1914. "Some Reminiscences of the Civil War." 
January 11, 1915. "Some Incidents in the War of the Re- 
bellion." 
October 15, 1915. "In Time of Peace Prepare for War." 



The Annual Report of the 

CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

contained a biographical sketch of which the following 

is an extract: 

"Coinmaiider \Vait was a valued member of the 
Chicago Historical Society, becoming a sustaining 
member, 1899. 

He, from time to time, presented to the Society valu- 
able historical relics. In tendering to the Society a 
framed colored lithograph of the Confederate Prison 
Pen at Andersonville (in which Union prisoners were 
confined) during the Civil War, he wrote: 

"I hope the Historical Society will give this a place in 
their valuable collection, for it treats of the greatest act 
of deliberate cruelty in the history of the war. Many 
of our noblest Chicago, Illinois, and Ohio men, starved 
to death here." 



20 



The Chicago Legal News published in its columns 
a series of biographical sketches of members of the 
Bench and Bar. 

The following is an extract from one of these which 
was written by Prof. David Swing, pastor of Central 
Church. 

THE ILLINOIS BAR 

XLIV 

HORATIO LOOMIS WAIT 



"The subject of this sketch is one of the strongest 
young men at the Chicago bar. The excitement of a 
war experience, which demoralized so many men for 
business, seems but to have put new vigor into this 
man's character and steadied him for the longer battle 

of life. 

* * * 

It is an unusual thing in this rushing American life 
for a man to become complete master of his profession, 
but when Mr. Wait was appointed to the otTice which 
he holds, it became evident that the severe training to 
which he had been subjected and his natural abilities 
had given him the power of grappling with the diflicul- 
ties of a subject, and of concpiering it — he was a master 
in chancery, indeed. He has given perfect satisfaction 
to the bar and bench in his quasi-judicial office; for a 
master in chancery comes between the bench and the 
bar. He has to decide questions foi both, as it were. 
To him are referred all kinds of intricate matters of 
dispute between parties, and his decisions are laid be- 
fore the judge in the subsequent trial. The office is 
really a judicial one, and the training which a man gets 
in the position amply fits him for the less arduous office 
on the bench; and of the young men at the Chicago bar, 
the one who is most directly in the line of promotion to 
a judicial office, the best fitted for it by training and 
habits of thought, is the subject of this sketch." 



21 



From among the many letters received from old 
friends it is permissible to quote from Bishop Charles 
Edward Cheney: 

"It is with peculiar emotions that I read last evening 
the announcement that your dear father had passed 
away. We were born in the same year, and though I 
was a few months his senior we were contemporaries 
in a somewhat unusual way. He and your mother were, 
in my early days in Christ Church, among the closest 
friends of my blessed wife and myself. After your 
lather's return from the naval service our friendship 
was strengthened by the relation that had existed be- 
tween him and Dr. Hyde during the Civil War. Every 
remembrance of the past years is freighted with recol- 
lections of his friendship and with admiration of his 
character as a man, a patriot and a Christian." 

and also the following from one of his boj^hood friends, 
Cien. Theodore S. Peck: 

"My mind goes back to my early boyhood days when 
Horatio made his home in Burlington, and we were to- 
gether almost constantly. He was a delightful playmate 
and comrade, and the noble traits he then showed grew 
stronger with his advancing manhood, and made him a 
leader among men and an example of the highest ideals 
ol" life. Of a gracious and sympathetic nature, full of 
cliarm, he won for himself a legion of friends, to whom 
his memory will ever remain as a priceless heritage. 
Horatio's years were full and rich in achievement, and 
he leaves the record of a life nobly lived. 

"I am glad that he passed away so peacefully, in the 
fullness of his activity, for it would have been a great 
trial to him to have lived beyond his usefulness and 
ability to do for others. His last thought and words 
were, indeed characteristic of him, and he has left to 
us all the happy memory of a noble life well lived. He 
was a brave officer in the Navy during the War for the 
Union, and later did much for the Naval Reserve, while 
as a citizen he was ever ready by service, counsel and 
example to further every worthy cause." 

He was what is frequently called "a gentleman of 

22 



the old school," always courteous and considerate. 
His most marked characteristic was a strong sense of 
duty, perhaps intensified by his naval training. He 
was always even-tempered, and his manner was quiet 
and self-reliant. His family can recall only two occa- 
sions when his voice was ever raised in anger, once at 
a serious neglect of duty by a brother officer and again 
when a faction in the Church sought to displace a 
saintly minister. 

He never "took advantage" of anybody, in fact 
was always over generous, and no old soldier or sailor 
or poor widow ever appealed to him in vain. He fre- 
quently gave his professional services to those in 
trouble or adversity and his death revealed quite a list 
of pensioners, unknown until that time, who had no 
other claim upon him than their need. 

His family life was ideal and his sons remember 
with gratitude the companionship of a "chum" who 
taught them swimming, boat-handling and other 
things dear to the boy's heart. 

In loving memory and appreciation this tribute is 
transcribed from various sources by his sons. 

James Joseph Wait, 
Henry Heileman Wait. 



23 




HORATIO J>OOMIS WAIT 

U. S. Navy 

FROM A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN 

1862 



HORATIO LOOMIS WAIT 



Horatio Loomis Wait was born in New York City, August 8, 
1836. He died at his residence in Hyde Park, Chicago, July 15, 
1916, in the eightieth year of his age. 

He was elected a member of the Illinois Commandery of the 
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States April 7, 
1880, Insignia No. 2005. 

He came from an ancestry on both sides of the best New 
England families, who were noted for their patriotism, integrity 
and character. He was the son of Joseph and Harriet Heileman 
(Whitney) Wait. One of his ancestors, especially distinguished 
for his service in the Revolutionary War, was Lieutenant Colonel 
Joseph Wait of the Army of the United States, who was killed in 
the battle with the British Army at Clarendon, Vermont, September, 
1776, where he was buried and where a monument has been erected 
to his memory. His son was Captain Alarmaduke Wait, U. S. A., 
who was distinguished for brave and efficient service in the War 
of 1812. 

Major Wait was educated in Trinity School, connected with the 
old Trinity Church on Broadway, New York, in the Columbia Gram- 
mar School and in Columbia College. 

He came to Chicago, then in the extreme West, May 1, 1856, 
influenced thereto by Horatio Gates Loomis, a relative. Here he 
became a student in the law office of Hon. John Young Scammon, 
a name familiar to all Chicagoans. 

When the war cloud of civil war broke and the first gun of that 
struggle was fired at Fort Sumter in the effort to destroy and dis- 
rupt the Union of the States, when the call to arms of the brave 
and patroitic men of the nation by Abraham Lincoln, to defend and 
preserve the national life, was made, young Wait, with the blood of 
his forebears coursing warmly in his veins, did not hesitate to 
answer that call and enlisted in Company "D" of the 60th Illinois 
Infantry, in which he served until 1862, when, by reason of his life- 
long interest in the United States Navy, he applied for and obtained 
a position as Lieutenant Commander in that service. His com- 
mission was handed him by Abraham Lincoln in person at the White 
House. This incident he often spoke of to his friends and with 
justifiable pride. The paper was left to his sons as a priceless 
heritage. 

This was the beginning of a service highly creditable during all 
the subsequent period of the great War. It brought him into close 
and continuous association with many of the most distinguished 
commanders and officers of the American Navy of that period; 
with Farragut, Dahlgren, Dupont, and with him who is yet con- 
nected with our Navy and highly distinguished for his services not 
only in that war, but, subsequent to that period, in Manila Bay, 
George Dewey, the present Admiral of our Navy. 



Among the many honors which he received for his valiant 
services was a Congressional medal given him by Act of Congress. 

Returning to Chicago at the close of the War, Major Wait, 
as his comrades loved to call him by reason of his rank as Pay- 
master in the Navy, again entered his life work as a lawyer, in 
which he became known to the bench and bar of the City of Chi- 
cago and of the State of Illinois as a Master in Chancery of the 
Circuit Court, where he had a service of forty years, longer, it is 
believed, than had ever been known before. He had heard many 
cases of the highest importance, both as to the amount involved and 
the legal principles considered by him. No question as to any 
act of his life, whether as a judicial officer or otherwise, was ever 
raised. His conclusions as to the facts and the law of cases were, 
with a really singular unanimity, almost universally affirmed by the 
trial. Appellate and Supreme Courts. 

Major Wait was, during his life and to its close, deeply con- 
cerned in many matters of public interest and affecting the public 
welfare. His interest in military and naval affairs was constant and 
effective. He drew the bill creating the Illinois Naval Reserve and 
was one of the principal factors in the creation of that organization 
and served as Lieutenant Comimander therein until he was retired 
by statute. He was a director of the Chicago Historical Society, 
a member of the IVIilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United 
States, a member of George H. Thomas Post, G. A. R., of the 
Grand Army Hall and Memorial Association, of the Society of 
Naval Veterans in Chicago, of the Chicago Literary Club, a life 
member of the Chicago Art Institute, and a director of the Public 
Library Board of Chicago. 

Mr. Wait was actively identified with the Episcopal Church in 
Chicago, first as a member of Bishop Cheney's parish, where he 
was the Superintendent of Tyng Mission, the first exponent of the 
social settlement idea. Later he joined St. Paul's Church in Ken- 
wood, of which he was vestryman, warden and a parishioner for 
over forty-five years. 

He was Dean of the Chicago Law School up to the time of his 
death, where he also lectured and did other very important and 
valualDle work. 

He was married to Miss Chara Conant Long, daughter of 
James Long, of Chicago, who was noted for her loveliness and 
beauty, for her activities in social affairs and in many good works. 
She died several years before the death of her husband. The chil- 
dren born of this union are James Joseph Wait and Henry Heile- 
man Wait, both of Chicago. 

To the members of the family surviving, this Military Order 
tenders its sincere sympathy and regret. 

Richard S. Tuthill, 
Edson J. Harkness, 
John R. Montgomery, 
Committee. 



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